World Ark Magazine - March/April 2008 - (Page 40) Heifer Bulletin News From The Field HEIFER HONORS Successful Heifer project partners know that for families and communities to effect real change, all members must participate fully and on the same level. Equal partnerships between men and women are a key ingredient for success. ¶ In 1988, Heifer International established the Women in Livestock Development (WiLD) initiative to help women care for themselves, their families, the Earth and each other. A project is designated as WiLD if 70 percent or more of the participants are women. ¶ Every year, Heifer recognizes the most remarkable of these WiLD project participants with two awards: the Grassroots Award for a superlative project and outstanding individuals, and the Meritorious Award for supporting women and advancing the cause of gender equity. Below are our 2007 winners. 2007 WiLD Winners Meritorious Award Effatah Jele Sharing Her Success In the Fisenge community of Zambia, copper mining, not farming, is the main source of income. And until Effatah Jele moved here in 1972, no one raised livestock. The Jele family began keeping cows because milk was so hard to come by. Jele became a community leader and helped establish livestock as a viable way to make a living in her community. The family embraced their new livestock endeavor, and their herd thrived and grew. This allowed them to help their neighbors, many of whom were unemployed after the copper mines began shutting down. Jele soon enlisted the help of Heifer International, which provided 20 heifers and 72 dairy goats for the Fisenge Dairy Cooperative. Jele encouraged women to take charge of their families’ animals when men were called to work in the mines. Her hard work was the foundation of success for this Heifer project. Without Jele’s initiative, this Heifer project would have never started, and she is responsible for providing a pathway to better nutrition and improved income for her family and neighbors. Grassroots Achievement Awards Nguyen Thi Len Wife, Mother, Leader It used to be that Nguyen Thi Len’s husband made all the money and major decsions for the family. But over the past five years, much has changed in the Nguyen household. Because her husband was a hired laborer whose work was unsteady, the family needed a dependable source of income. So in 2003, Nguyen Thi Len joined the Long Hoa Dairy Cow Cooperative, near Can Tho City, Vietnam. Her original gift of two cows from Heifer has grown to eight, and the family now makes the equivalent of $9 a day selling milk. Her economic contributions to the family helped give Nguyen Thi Len the confidence to contribute in other ways, including making decisions about her son’s education. She also took up a leadership role in the cooperative, becoming vice-president of the managing committee. Vasylyna Klimpush Dedicated to Her Homeland In her mountain home in Ukraine, Vasylyna Klimpush sees both beauty and potential. A member of the Sil’sky Hospodar Agriculture Service Cooperative, Klimpush champions the unique native Hutsul horse breed for its suitability to the climate and terrain and its important role in the region’s culture. Klimpush became involved with Heifer International in 2002 at a time when she was unemployed and raising six sons alone. With the gift of a Hutsul from Heifer Ukraine, Klimpush and her sons, whose ages ranged from 5 to 18, were able to plow and cultivate a highland field. The horse also proved useful hauling firewood to keep the family warm during the long, cold winters. Since 2002, Klimpush has become a leader in her group, recruiting her neighbors to participate in the Heifer project. And she was among the first to realize the Hutsul horses’ value as a tourist draw. Today, agritourism is thriving as visitors to the town ride the carriages pulled by Hutsuls as they accompany Klimpush on searches for medicinal berries and mushrooms. www.heifer.org Nguyen Thi Len lives in the village of Long Hoa, Vietnam, where she is a leader in a local dairy cow cooperative, enabling her to help financially support her family. Photo by Darcy Kiefel 40 March/April 2008 | WORLD ARK http://www.heifer.org
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